Universal
Design:

Maine's OpportunityTo Lead the Way

To Information AccessFor Everyone

by Maureen Connolly

Original graphic designed by The Overleaf
Group, Marcia Bernstein

In September 1997, leaders from Maine State government,
business, education, and the non-profit community gathered for the Conference,
Maximizing Economic Potential. They set out to explore how Maine can develop
the information technologies the state needs to be globally competitive.
Sponsored by the Maine CITE Coordinating Center and the Maine Department of
Education, the Conference looked at how government and education can lead the
way in ensuring that information technologies accommodate differing needs and
provide access for everyone. This report is the outcome of that effort.

Universal Design:

Maine's Opportunity to Lead the Way to Information Access
for Everyone

State government can play the pivotal role in making
information technologies and information systems accessible to all citizens. As
a provider of a broad array of information services and as a major contractor
with businesses and community organizations, State government is in a unique
position to spur the development of universally designed computer, telephone,
fax, and other information technologies. State government can help ensure that
these essential technologies allow access to all individuals, regardless of
their physical, sensory, or cognitive differences.

In September 1997, leaders from Maine State government
joined with leaders of the business, education, and non-profit communities to
explore how technologies that people must use to access information can be
designed to accommodate differing needs. The conference, Maximizing Economic
Potential, sponsored by the Maine CITE Coordinating Center, the state's
Technology Act-funded project, and the Maine Department of Education, concluded
that having a system of fully accessible information technologies is vital if
Maine is to be globally competitive.

The Conference was designed to build on the work of several
Maine initiatives on access and telecommunications, including The Maine
Project: A Partnership for Telecommunications & Information Technology
Planning. The Maine Project, which issued its final report in 1996, envisioned
an advanced, integrated public and private telecommunications system for Maine.
The Maine Project called for a system that is affordable, easy to use,
accessible throughout Maine, and available to individuals and organizations in
homes, schools, and workplaces.

Among the purposes of the Maximizing Economic Potential
Conference was determining how State government can advance the mission of The
Maine Project and other significant initiatives, particularly in ensuring that
information technologies are accessible to everyone. Participating in this
two-day roundtable discussion were organizations including Maine's Department
of Education, Department of Administration and Financial Services, Department
of Labor, Department of Human Services, Division of Purchases, the
Legislature's Educational and Cultural Affairs Committee, Maine State Library, AARP, Alpha One, Maine Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Governor
Baxter School for the Deaf, New England Board of Higher Education, Starvision
Multimedia Inc., Time Warner Cable, and Unum, as well as consumers and
nationally recognized experts in access and information technologies. The
Conference featured demonstrations of accessible information technologies, a
review of survey data on Maine's population with disabilities, discussions of
barriers to access, and the development of principles that decision-makers can
follow as they plan for and implement accessible information systems.

Universal Design

The key to access for everyone is universal design.
Universal design is a term most commonly associated with architecture. A home
or a workplace utilizing universal design may include ramps, levered doors,
remote-operated electrical switches, roll-in showers, and a myriad of products
and design features that afford easy access and use for people with
disabilities.

Many universally designed products that were originally
intended to provide access for people with disabilities have resulted in new,
often unintended uses that benefit large numbers of non-disabled people. Closed
captioning, developed for people who are deaf, today assists children who are
learning to read or adults who are learning English as a second language. In
many public places, where the sound of a television would be a distraction or
an annoyance, the TV volume is off and the captioning is on so that viewers can
know what's being broadcast.

A universally designed information system, like a
universally designed living or working space, incorporates features that are
usable by anyone, regardless of differences in how individuals see, hear, move,
talk, or think. A universally designed technology as manufactured and sold-or
"off the shelf" or "out of the box"-is usable by anyone
with little or no alteration. Universally designed technologies, such as
computers, telephones, and faxes, can be designed to work together in a
seamless, integrated system that provides access for everyone: universal
access.

Keeping Maine Global

Universal access to Maine's information systems is vital to
the state's economic future. As a small, geographically isolated state, Maine
can only compete in a world that depends on electronic information if the
state's economy provides access for everyone. While universal access is
considered a social imperative, it also contributes heavily to Maine's economic
survival.

"We need to think of our market in the largest terms.
We need to expand the base of customers and labor," said Conference
participant Jay Menario of Unum. "We can't afford to leave people
out."

Participants stressed the importance of universal access to
Maine's educational system and to the development of an educated workforce.
Maine's goals for academic achievement and higher graduation rates for all
students, in K-12 and post-secondary institutions, will depend on universal
access to information and assistive technologies.

Who Are the Users?

A 1997 survey sponsored by Unum Life Insurance Co. of
America, the international leader in the disability insurance industry,
underscores the importance of making information systems accessible to everyone
and accommodating differences. Nearly 170,000 Maine residents-one in seven
citizens-has a physical, sensory, mental or emotional disability that affects
their ability to function in one or more life activities, such as
working, learning, caring for themselves, or participating in the community.

The survey, conducted by the Bureau of Economic Research at
Rutgers University, is based on telephone calls to 3,300 Maine households. The
survey found that people with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities
represent 13.5% of Maine's population.

While fewer than 5% of Maine children under 15 have a disability;
6% of people aged 16 to 30 have a disability; 12% of people aged 31 to 45 have
a disability; 20% of people aged 46 to 64 have a disability; and 34% of people
aged 65 or older have a disability.

Many Maine people have disabilities that affect more than
one aspect of their lives. Nearly 62% of Maine people with disabilities have
difficulty walking; 52% have difficulty lifting; 29% have difficulty seeing;
22% have difficulty learning; 20% have difficulty hearing; and 14% have
difficulty speaking.

Some 37% of people with disabilities use assistive
technologies such as communication devices or adaptive devices in their home,
vehicle, classroom, or work site. About 30% of Maine people with disabilities
use a computer on the job or at home.

For the thousands of Maine people with disabilities, having
access to information gives them "a stake in our democracy, an opportunity
to participate, and opportunities for self-development," Kim Wallace,
public policy analyst for Alpha One, a Maine Center for Independent Living,
told the Conference.

Barriers to Access for All

Citizens look to State government for information they need
in all parts of their daily lives: information on health, education, jobs,
housing, safety, transportation, taxes, travel, and recreation. Unless the
system of technologies that Maine State government uses to distribute that
information accommodates the needs of every individual, Maine will have a
society deeply split into "information haves" and "information
have nots."

Maine State government is typical of states and major
businesses and industries that use a broad array of technologies. A July 1997
survey of 17 Maine State agencies and departments showed brochures, maps,
newsletters, fiche, diskettes, tapes, CD-ROM, modem dial-in, e-mail Internet,
FTP files, and fax technologies are components of systems used to gather and
give out information.

The Maximizing Economic Potential Conference found that too
often information systems are put together in a piecemeal fashion, and while
they serve many people, these systems also pose barriers for others. Frequently
barriers are not discovered until systems are in place. The result is the need
for costly and time- consuming retrofitting.

Conference participants pointed to the State of Maine's
purchase of a costly software package for all state employees that could not
initially be used by people who are blind.

Accessible information technologies such as TTYs are going
unused or underutilized because not enough state employees are trained to operate
them. Home pages for the World Wide Web are being increasingly developed
throughout Maine State government with little or no coordination among agencies
and no standards for accessibility. State-sponsored Web pages frequently do not
recognize standards for accessibility and often rely heavily on graphical
images that are not accessible to people who are blind.

William Paul, a retired vice president of United
Technologies and a consumer, said there is a natural tension between those who
want to quickly adopt the latest technologies and those who want to slow down
until those technologies are proven to be accessible. Paul urged the Conference
to find ways that State government and the private sector can streamline the
design, testing, and implementation of accessible technologies so that
everyone's needs are met.

Using Government's Influence

State government and municipalities, including School
Administrative Units, have the ability to not only effect universal design of
its own information systems but to promote the development of fully accessible
products and systems in the private sector.

According to Conference advisor Steven E. Miller, director
of the Mass Ed OnLine Project, it is not acceptable for technology developers
to require users to figure out how to adapt products after their purchase.
Inclusive features need to be incorporated into the product's structural and
functional design. State government, as a regulator of the telecommunications
and major customer of the technology and software industries, can influence
designers and manufacturers to incorporate universal design into their products
so they are ready-out of the box-for use by people with a wide range of
abilities and needs.

Many manufacturers simply don't understand how and why
universal design is critically important. Others assume that the cost of
universally designed products would be prohibitive. But the world of technology
already has proven how access can be designed into a product, often at little
or no additional cost. Glide points included on computer keyboards, for
example, can be easier to manipulate than a mouse and improve access for people
with mobility impairments.

Alan Hurwitz, Director of the Northeast Technical Assistance
Center at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, NY,
called for designers and manufacturers of information systems and products to
build in "redundancy of access." All products, he said, need to
accommodate at least two methods of access.

"Make visual information available audibly, audio
information available visually, and both available tactilely," Hurwitz
said.

Mary Beth Walsh of Maine Center for the Blind and Visually
Impaired said that every graphical image used on a Web page should have
descriptive text that someone who is blind can access with the assistance of a
sound card included in most computers.

Jim Tobias, a nationally known consultant in access
technologies, called on the State of Maine to collaborate with other states in
promoting and implementing universal design and to use its influence to engage
telecommunications companies to foster universal design. He suggested providing
technical assistance to manufacturers and using the State's buying power to
influence change.

The Importance of Consumer Involvement

To the greatest extent possible, information systems should
be consumer-driven, and people with disabilities-the users of information
products and systems-must be involved in all levels of system planning,
development, and implementation. People with disabilities are access experts.
Their involvement, especially at the planning stage, will result in lower cost,
higher quality products.

Conference participants urged Maine's State agencies to
adopt internal policies that promote the involvement of people with
disabilities in all information system design activities and to make the
process fully participatory. They encouraged better understanding of the
Americans with Disabilities Act and other State and Federal laws and policies
that require or promote equal access.

Participants also agreed it is essential that people with
disabilities know how to assert themselves when they encounter barriers within
information systems and to work to remove those obstacles.

The Challenges Ahead

Achieving universal access and promoting universal design
require a significant shift in thinking and action. The process, however, will
include many challenges and require people to set priorities and make
compromises.

Because technology is constantly evolving, any information
system must be regarded as a "work in progress," said one Conference
participant. What is accessible today may not be accessible tomorrow as
technology advances and formats change. It is important that people who are
planning for universal access anticipate accelerated growth and changes in
technology.

"The universal design of Internet technologies poses a
particular problem. The Internet is a free market, and no individual or
organization can force such monumental change", Tobias said.

Participants called on the disability community to unite to
promote universal access, but warned that not every person with a disability
will have immediate access to all information services. Trade-offs may be
necessary throughout the process of seeking access for everyone.

Extensive educational efforts will be necessary to help
businesses and the general public understand the potential benefits of
universal design to all of society.

The Guiding Principles

The Conference drafted ten Guiding Principles of Universal
Access to Information. The Conference called for decision-makers, at all levels
of State government, to use these principles in planning, developing and

All citizens have a right to access Maine's information
resources. To achieve and maintain independence in a changing world, every
citizen needs information that is usable, understandable, and affordable.

Maine's State government's facilities, technologies, and
services that are sources of information must be designed to provide universal
access. By incorporating universal design, information systems can accommodate
the many differences in how individuals see, hear, talk, move, and think.

Universal design of Maine's information resources has the
potential to benefit all citizens.

An information system that is accessible to everyone is
essential for Maine to be globally competitive. Universal access gives all
citizens the opportunity to participate in the economy.

Universal access is essential for Maine to reach its goals
of higher academic achievement, as established in Maine's Learning Results, for
all K-12 students and for higher graduation rates for secondary and
post-secondary students.

To be fully accessible to everyone, Maine's information
systems must be planned, designed and implemented with the active participation
of people with disabilities and other individuals with special needs.

Awareness and understanding of universal design and
universal access should be integral to all aspects of Maine's community life.

Maine State government should be a national model and
leader in providing universal access.

Universal access must be a value in all of Maine's
information-related activities and policies. Maine should reward innovation in
universal design and universal access.

Recommendations

The Conference suggested many ways that Maine State
government can use the Guiding Principles for Universal Access to Information
in developing its information infrastructure. Among those recommendations for

Adopt a State policy on information services that
values universal access. Institute mechanisms for ensuring access and consumer
participation that will remain consistent despite changing personnel and evolving
technologies.

Institute a State policy on purchases that requires all
information technologies such as computers, telephones, faxes, and messaging
systems to meet guidelines for universal design.

Require businesses and community-based organizations
that provide contracted services for State government to have, whenever
possible, information systems that are accessible to everyone.

Encourage libraries to provide assistive technologies
that link citizens who have physical, sensory, and cognitive differences to
state and global information resources.

Support a task force, including people with
disabilities, under the leadership of the Maine Department of Labor, to
determine the current level of access to State Information resources and
recommend ways to improve access.

Establish a laboratory to test universally designed
information technologies and share the results of those tests nationwide.

Develop an accessibility checklist that individuals and
agencies within State government and the private sector can use in designing
and implementing information systems.

Encourage State and municipal governments to
restructure their competitive bidding processes to reward innovation in
universal design and access.

With the help of private foundation support or Federal
funding such as a field-initiated NIDRR grant (National Institute on Disability
and Rehabilitation Research), bring together representatives of the National
Association of State Purchasing Officers and the National Association of State
Information Officers to encourage and assist other states in adopting
principles for universal access.

With the assistance of the Commissioner of
Administrative and Financial Services, work with the Task Force on Information
Technology in the Public Sector to promote universal design and universal
access. Assist the Board in its mission of advising the Legislature on how
State agencies, the Judiciary, University of Maine System, and Maine Technical
College System can better share information technologies.

Through Maine's Director of Purchases, establish a
cooperative purchasing system for universally designed information technologies that
involves State government, municipal governments, and the University of Maine
System.

Maximize existing technologies within State government,
such as TTYs, by providing training to current and new employees.

Increase the visibility of other State initiatives on
access, technology and telecommunications, such as the Telecommunications
Advisory Committee.

Broaden public awareness about the benefits of
universal design and universal access. Work with organizations such as Maine
CITE and Centers for Independent Living to conduct public education
campaigns.

Encourage businesses to include
universal design and universal access in employment training.

Institute an awards program for
innovation in universal design of information technologies or systems.

Make universal access to information
a component of Maine's economic policies, including tax credits for innovation
in universal design of information technologies or systems.

Set benchmarks for improving access
and regularly monitor the progress of State governments and School
Administrative Units in achieving access for everyone.

The following individuals participated in the Conference
where they crafted the Guiding Principles and Recommendations. Leaders and
decision makers at all levels are urged to use these principles in planning,
developing and implementing information technologies and systems.

William Paul
Retired Executive Vice President
United Technologies

Jim Tobias
President, Inclusive Technologies

Tom Kinney
President, Time Warner Cable of Maine

David Noble Stockford
Director of Special Services
Maine Department of Education

Maine CITE is authorized under the Technology-Related
Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act, Amended 1994, and funded by
the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S.
Department of Education.